Framatome has upgraded its Ugine nuclear alloy plant with an additional EUR 12.6 million (USD14.2 million) vacuum arc remelting furnace. Metal alloys made at Ugine are manufactured into components used in reactor cores around the world.

France's EDF has launched a hydrogen production and distribution subsidiary to support decarbonisation of industry and mobility using low-carbon electricity from its nuclear and renewable energy fleet.

France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission have signed an agreement to cooperate in emergency preparedness.

One of three new replacement steam generators has arrived at the port of Dunkerque in northern France ahead of their installation at unit 5 of the nearby Gravelines nuclear power plant. Installation of the original replacement components was delayed from 2016 after discrepancies were found in their manufacturing files.

EDF in 2018 achieved all its financial objectives and exceeded the targets of its performance plan, company chairman and CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy announced last week. Its performance would be "amplified" in 2019, he said during the presentation of its results.

French utility EDF said today it will give an update on the schedule and construction cost of the Flamanville EPR once the country's nuclear safety regulator has ruled in May whether some welds in the unit's secondary system need replacing.

The French nuclear industry has today signed a strategic contract with the government and unions, covering the period 2019-2022, which proposes an action plan for the industry to succeed in "high-stake" projects.

Hot functional testing of the Flamanville EPR in France, which had been scheduled to start before the end of 2018, will now begin in February, EDF said yesterday. The loading of fuel into the 1650 MWe pressurised water reactor is still expected by the end of this year.

The new Philippe Coste uranium conversion plant at Orano's Tricastin site in southern France has now been commissioned following the completion of a test programme.

A total of 14 power reactors will be shut down in order to reduce the share of nuclear in France's electricity generation mix from the current 75% to 50% by 2035, President Emmanuel Macron announced today.

Orano has been contracted to carry out preparatory work for the transport of 731 used fuel assemblies from the Fugen experimental Advanced Thermal Reactor (ATR) in Japan to France for reprocessing.

Russian and French nuclear power companies discussed new business opportunities in additive technologies at a seminar in Moscow this week. The event was coordinated by Rusatom - Additive Technologies (RusAT).